da betobet： Manchester City travel to Wembley on Saturday, fearing Tottenham may well postpone their title celebrations for at least another week. Three games ago, Pep Guardiola’s side still enjoyed an aura invincibility, but a Champions League showdown with Liverpool and a shock comeback from Manchester United in the Manchester derby has shown how surprisingly beatable this usually dominant team is when not quite at their imperious best.
da fezbet： So, will Mauricio Pochettino’s side deliver City’s fourth consecutive defeat, or will Saturday’s visitors provide the right response to recent tribulations? This week’s experts, Spurs-mad Sean Cook from The Sun and Bluemoon’s Ric Turner, share their thoughts and predictions ahead of the 7.45pm kickoff…
Spurs’ last defeat in the Premier League was indeed against Manchester City, but that came all the way back in December at the Etihad Stadium. Since then, Tottenham have won eleven of 14 in the English top flight, dispatching some huge key rivals in the process – Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. And yet, with Liverpool excelling in Europe and United always in the headlines, there hasn’t been much coverage of what is Tottenham’s longest undefeated run in the top flight since 1967.
What have been the key factors behind that run and why hasn’t there been much media coverage?
Sean: “The current crop of Spurs players hate losing, particularly the likes of Eric Dier. They’re passionate and genuinely care about our club, so losing to Man City only would have motivated them further. Regarding the media coverage, that’s no surprise. Spurs haven’t spent much money, they haven’t got a rich owner and they’re doing it with English players. This success is largely why we get under the skin of rivals fans. We’re doing it the right way.”
But does this Spurs side still have weaknesses City can exploit?
Ric: “Spurs are a very strong side, and there aren’t many obvious weaknesses in their team. Hopefully they will try to go toe to toe with us, as they did at the Etihad Stadium where they were comprehensively outplayed. I think Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane could get some joy running at Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies.”
City, meanwhile, find themselves in unfamiliar and uncertain territory heading into Saturday’s clash. This is actually the longest losing run of Guardiola’s career, and a far cry from the impeccable standards City have set themselves this season. At least in terms of results, anyway – barring chaotic sets of 15 minutes in each of their last three matches, City have been in pretty much full control.
Where has it all gone wrong for the Citizens?
Ric: “This run of games was always going to be tough, but to suffer three consecutive defeats has been disappointing. We’ve actually played extremely well at times in those games (notably the first halves against United and Liverpool at home) but some profligate finishing and poor refereeing decisions have cost us dearly.
“Clearly the Champions League was the priority, and we paid the price for fielding a weakened team against United. But Guardiola knew that was a game we could afford to lose, even if many fans felt differently. No excuses for the Champions League games though. Liverpool were deserved winners over two legs. Klopp seems to have the measure against Guardiola in head-to-head meetings, if not over the course of a full league season.”
And can Tottenham take inspiration from those wins for Liverpool and United?
Sean: “Spurs can take inspiration from their own performances against the top six this season. We’ve beaten Man United, Liverpool and Arsenal all convincingly at Wembley, with only Chelsea slipping through our fingers. Particularly in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, Liverpool flooded City going forward. If we can match that energy and attacking threat on Saturday, I’m sure we can pull off something special.”
Clearly though, Tottenham will need to be at their best to beat City. Which Spurs stars will be key in that?
Sean: “The obvious answer would be Harry Kane, but we’ve seen against the top six this season that opposition defences are very good at isolating him. Christian Eriksen has by far been one of the highlights of our season, and would be a far bigger casualty than the likes of Dele Alli and Toby Alderweireld, should another club try to poach him. If he is at his best, City can do little to stop him.”
Guardiola used some intriguing formations in the defeats to Liverpool. The Anfield clash saw City line-up a 4-5-1 system that became more of a 3-4-3 with Leroy Sane often slipping into the wing-back role, while Guardiola fielded his side in a 3-2-4-1 for the return leg at the Etihad Stadium. For much of the match it had the desired effect, but at times it felt as if the City gaffer had over-complicated the game-plan against a team relying more on natural speed and energy.
Should Guardiola go back to City’s basics this weekend by reverting to the 4-3-3 setup we’ve seen for most of the season?
Ric: “The players looked dead on their feet towards the end of the Liverpool game, and there will surely have to be some rotation at Wembley. I’d be tempted to play three centre halves to compensate for the absence of the suspended Fernandinho, who is integral to the way we play, but I don’t think that’s the Guardiola way. We’ll try to play our usual attacking game, which will most likely see us line up in a 4-3-3.”
Where will this game be lost and won?
Ric: “I’m fairly apprehensive about our chances on Saturday. The last three games have taken their toll, and the absence of Fernandinho could be crucial. Spurs have a very physical, powerful midfield and I think that could be the factor that swings the game in their favour.”
Sean: “The midfield, as always, will be crucial. Guardiola has some of the best midfielders on the planet in his squad, with a vast selection to choose from. But defensively, Spurs need to be clever. We’ll need pace to match the likes of Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling on the wing, so Trippier and Davies will need to be at their best.”
And finally lads, let’s hear your score predictions…
Sean: “2-1 to Spurs.”
Ric: “Hope I’m wrong, but I have a feeling we’ll lose this 3-1, sadly.“
[ad_pod ]